American Christian Alert

Recently I told a friend of mine that any serious examination of “Christianity” has to be an examination of Christ, and not one of Christians. In today’s America, the relevance of that statement is invaluable as an increasing amount of diversity in the Christian population evolves. As it is meaningless to try to evaluate the genuineness of Christians, it is comforting to know that such an evaluation is not required by God. In fact, this is what God has to say on the subject.

“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness” (2 Timothy 2:19).

In another Scripture Jesus says this in parable form about any attempt to root out fake Christians from among genuine Christians, “…’No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn’” (Matthew 13:24-30).

This Movement is guided by this reality. Anyone who wishes to wear the badge of “Christian” will be accepted as such. However, whether or not any living person wears the badge of Christian, the laws, rules and commands of Christ apply to us, and it is by those that we all shall be judged.

Christians therefore represent the primary target audience of this Movement because of our announced subscription to the Bible, and by implication, to what the Bible teaches. And whereas I know that not all Christians agree on all the details of what the Bible teaches, we will respectfully agree to disagree on minor areas of interpretation as they relate to the objects and goals of this Movement.

Against this background, let us identify some of the driving philosophies behind thisMovement that are not likely to get any push-back from persons who voluntarily wear the badge of “Christian”.

In the context of the American democracy, all citizens 18 years and over are blessed with the opportunity, privilege and responsibility to campaign, agitate, and vote for the candidate of our choice. If for any reason we do not feel comfortable with any of the available choices, we are free to throw our hat in the ring, satisfy the requirements of the laws of the land, and offer our candidacy to the voters. However, without prejudice to whether we exploited the opportunity to support and vote for the candidate of our choice, we are bound by the laws of the land to the fair and accurate results of the election. If we feel the elections were unfair, we may avail ourselves of the legal recourses. If there is a need for a challenge, and having exhausted all of the options provided by the law, the results that stand are the results that bind us.

It is at this stage that the Christian is obligated to consider the elected rulers to be ordained by God. In fact, the American Christian has no excuse for adopting any contrary attitude because what God said did not immediately apply to democratically elected leaders. The rule God laid down referred to conquering dictators, and even oppressive dictators. This is what God said about the Judeo-Christian citizens’ relationship with their Roman rulers.

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established…” (Romans 13:1-6). This subject is thoroughly treated in “Put Him Back…America!”.

The takeaway is that after one of the most contentious elections in US Presidential Election history, Donald Trump has emerged the President, and he is therefore God’s established President, for the time being. Every Christian in America must therefore genuinely accord to President Donald Trump all the respect and critical support that his office demands.

The critical word is “critical”. The Christian lives in a parallel universe. In one universe, Donald Trump is the President and CEO. However, in the other universe, God is the President, and CEO. It is God who delegates power to Donald Trump, and not Donald Trump who delegates power to God. The American Christian’s first allegiance is always to God, and never to the President or any other earthly leader. This plays out in real life in potentially militant and confrontational ways. For so long as Donald Trump submits himself to God, and leads the American people as God leads him and as is validated by the Word of God, then the American Christian is obligated to obey the President. However, at any time that Donald Trump decides to abandon the leadership and authority of God as validated by the Word of God, then the American Christian is no longer under any obligation to obey the President. And what goes for the President, goes for all human elected leaders in America at State, County and Municipal levels. “In Put Him Back… America!” the President is warned not to make the same mistake that Kings Nebuchadnezzar or Cyrus made. Nebuchadnezzar was lucky and was spared by God. Cyrus was not.

The Apostles Peter and John when faced with their crisis of conflicting loyalties and consequent obedience either to God, or the religious leaders of the day, had this to say in Acts 4:18, “…Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?You be the judges!As for us, we cannot help speakingabout what we have seen and heard.”

Again, in another setting, Peter and the other Apostles responded to a “Cease and desist” order by human authorities by saying, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29).

Finally in Mark 12:17 and elsewhere, Jesus settled the principle. “Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.” For so long as President Trump does not try to demand what belongs to God in any shape or form, then the Christian is obligated to give to President Trump what belongs to him.

The second guiding principle that motivates this Movement is the requirement that Christians act as light and salt in this world. Christianity does not have Jihad as any of its guiding tenets. It is truly the religion of peace. However, Christianity is intended to be anything but passive. As light, the American Christian is mandated not to be silent or quiet or passive in letting our light shine in America. Light is the ultimate enemy of darkness. When light shines, darkness has no choice but to flee. The Christian American is obligated to turn on the searchlight of God’s Word on every aspect of American Life. The American Christian is obligated to ensure that his or her light, being a reflection of God’s light, must so shine among our fellow Americans, that they will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

The American Christian is also salt (Matthew 5:13). We all know how valuable salt is and what many of its healing and preserving qualities are. In the days that Jesus was on earth, salt was even more valuable and relevant than it is today. In addition to its obvious use to preserve meat in the absence of refrigeration, it was also used in some cases to pay “salary”. Jesus Christ tells American Christians that we are the salt of America. But this is not an unconditional entitlement. For Jesus also anticipates the possibility that American Christians may abandon our effectiveness and our core values, and therefore lose our “saltiness”. Jesus is clear. If and when this happens, the individual Christian becomes useless and irrelevant, but the Church of Jesus Christ which is the sum of all genuine Christians must continue to do what God has ordained us to do.How does this translate into our present American reality? There is not an expressed thought, broadcast tweet, or stated policy position of President Donald Trump that should escape the attention, scrutiny, and hopefully, support of the American Christian. And whereas President Trump can appoint whoever he wishes to appoint to work for him, this Movement will not go beyond the American Constitutional provisions. We recognize the three theoretically co-equal branches of Government. Our leaders either fall under the Congress, the Judiciary or the Executive branches. Ultimately, the branch that was conceived of first is the Executive and that is the President. So when any of the President’s appointees run afoul of the Christian values as set out in the Word of God, it is the President that this Movement will hold accountable. That is simply a good administration principle.

The American Christian and all Americans are entitled to the pursuit of happiness. However, this pursuit is fettered by the dictates of communal living and interaction. Where my freedom begins, yours end. For this reason we must have laws. We must all obey the laws while they are in force, for as long as they do not conflict with the laws of God. Any law that conflicts with the law of God, or that for any reason we do not like, is exposed to our efforts at legislative reform.

This is a great period in the history of the United States of America. We are excited by the sentiments of our President who campaigned on making America great again. Christian Americans do not have all the answers to all that is necessary to make America great Again. No single person or group of persons do. However, Christian Americans understand that there is one thing that is absolutely critical for making America great again. That is to put God and His Word and principles back into the public square of America.